


Red Side Of The Moon

by orphan_account



Category: Jade Empire
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Triads, Bad Ending, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Closed Fist Ending AU, F/F, Guns, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Mild Sexual Content, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sleeping Dogs AU, Triads, Vague Mentions Of Dragon Age, organised crime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:28:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24033556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Robbed of her home and father figure by the violent Lotus Assassin Triad, Ling has spent the past four years operating as a part-time thug, part-time vigilante, infiltrating small time gangs to destroy them from within, working her way towards the Imperial City and the center of the Lotus Assassin’s operations.Born into wealth and privilege, and despising every part of it, Sun Lian, the daughter of the Dragon Head Sun Hai, works from the shadows to uproot the sedition and corruption that has taken hold of her father’s organisation.When the two women collide in a flurry of blows in an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the city, they quickly realise they have more to gain by working together than against each other. But the underbelly of the Heart Of The Empire is darker and more brutal than their worst nightmare, and to have any hope of survival, they’ll have to navigate it together.
Relationships: Female Spirit Monk/Sun Lian | Silk Fox, Spirit Monk/ Sun Lian | Silk Fox
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	1. The Road Ahead

**Author's Note:**

> trying to write a big fic again after literal months of writers block? you know it baby! anyways this is an AU i've had in my head for ages but never had the drive to write. loosely based off of the basic premise of Sleeping Dogs but with a darker attitude and a not-great ending. 
> 
> This is not a romanitisation of organised crime or anything like it, this is very much an AU of the Closed Fist ending and the events that lead up to it. it ends happy for the characters, but not good, if that makes sense. 
> 
> Also, the events in the summary will happen in chapter 3, I just want to lead into it first. What can I say, I like rambling!

“You ever think about slowing down, from time to time?”

Ling looks up from her makeshift stitching job; the wound was a relatively shallow cut to her torso, but had bled like a bitch and stung like all hell. Sky sat across from her, heaping stir-fry onto a chipped plate.

“What do you mean?”

Sky shrugs, moving away from the stove and to the small table across from the couch. 

“I mean, taking a break, relaxing for a bit, taking a bit of you time away from, you know, murder and chaos and all that.

Ling stares at him for only a moment before continuing work on stitching herself up. 

“Have you ever thought of that?”

“Now that the man who murdered my daughter is dead? Yeah, I have.

“He might be, but the people who funded him aren’t.”

Sky sighs heavily, picking at his food. A silence stretches between them, and the air of their tiny rented apartment feels even stuffier than normal. There’s the quiet snip of scissors as Ling ties off her final stitch, inspecting it for a moment, and avoiding looking at Sky. He knows she’s right, but she shouldn’t have said it, not right now. It was a time for small victories after all. 

Gao the Greater was dead.

It had taken months of work on both their ends, infiltrating first the river pirates, then the actual Guild members. Months of posing as petty criminals (though, Ling isn’t certain how much of it is posing anymore) and subtly sabotaging their operations without drawing attention to themselves. More still, making themselves look like valued members of the gang. All of it culminating in sneaking through the storehouses downriver from Tien’s Landing, freeing captured innocents and quickly and quietly taking out any gang member or pirate they came across. By the time Gao knew what was going on, it was too late for him. The whole bloody affair ended with an explosive shootout that ended as quickly as it started. Ling had let Sky snuff out Gao’s pathetic life, hoping it would at least provide him with some semblance of peace. 

She knew better, but she still hoped. Hope was the only thing that kept you sane, she had learned. Hope and anger in equal measure. 

As successful as they had been, they had not escaped unharmed, and the boat ride back had been quiet as they bit back the pain, Sky not even managing to get out one of his trademark quips. Then it was merely a matter of sneaking through the streets to avoid suspicion, back to their apartment. Sky announced he was going to make a “celebratory dinner” the instant he was done cleaning himself up. Ling had merely nodded.

And now, here they were. 

It was a strange feeling. It had felt good, in the moment, putting that slaving scum down. Honestly, even as her body was succumbing to post-adrenaline exhausting, it still felt kinda good, which was worrying in its own way. But it was strange in the fact that while it had felt good, it hadn’t felt satisfying in the way she expected. Gao’s family was- while not directly responsible- part of the reason she had no home to go back to. She had thought that finally getting to end the man that had provided transport and men to burn her village to the ground would make her feel… something. 

She’s interrupted from her thoughts by Sky sighing again, and she turns to look at him. He’s barely eaten, seemingly lost in thought as well. 

“You… have a point. But you realise, you can’t keep this pace up forever, right? You gotta slow down, otherwise you’ll get yourself killed.”

“I can slow down once I hit the Imperial City. I’ll have to, considering I’ll be at square one again.”

“That’s not what I-”

Sky’s interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. Ling instinctively goes for a kitchen knife, slowly moving over to the edge of the door frame, nodding to Sky, who’s already put his plate down and moved to peek through the peephole. 

“Hello! I heard this is where you’re staying! I hope, at least!” Comes a voice before he can get there. A familiar voice. Ling cautiously lowered her knife, nodding to Sky to open the door. 

Before them stood a short, older man, with grey hair underneath a broad-brimmed hat, and round black sunglasses with shields at the sides. Ling wondered how he could even see with them on at this time of night, but was more concerned about how he found them.

Sky, for his part, put on a charming grin, hopefully distracting the man while Ling put the knife down. 

“Well, I didn’t expect to see you again! Kang, right?”

“Yes indeed, that is me! I’ve been looking for you, both of you actually! I wanted to express my gratitude for your efforts in saving me from that nasty and wasteful Gao!”

This time it was Ling’s turn to smile, genuinely for once.

“Of course, it was our pleasure to help you and the others there.”

Kang nodded, “Actually, I was wondering if I could repay you in some manner. I don’t have much in the way of money, not here at least, but I overheard you two were looking for a way into the Imperial City?”

Sky blinked. Ling regarded the short man with a firm but not unkind eye. 

“How do you know that?” She asked. Kang waved his hand dismissively. 

“I overheard it from some of the thugs. I assumed it was either true or a part of your cover story. There was always some talk of how ambitious the two of you were. Didn’t chalk it up to much but it certainly ended up helping me!”

Ling felt the tense feeling in her stomach melt away. Of course he had heard. Kang had been forced to work as Gao’s head mechanic, coming up with all sorts of illegal weapon modifications, fitting new improvements to his boats and other vehicles, and new kinds of especially dangerous explosives. She wasn’t sure how Kang had ended up there, but he was there clearly against his will.

Sky cleared his throat, “It depends on what you have in mind on whether or not you can help us.”

“Oh, well! It’s rather simple! All roads lead to the Imperial City but one can hardly be expected to walk there! My workshop is in the city, and with no more Gao, there’s no-one to stop me from heading back!”

“And… you want to offer us a ride?” Sky asked cautiously.

“Not only a ride, but a job too! Just until you get on your feet. Nasty business, messing with the Guild, pretty sure you’d be in trouble if you left anyone alive to tell the story!” Kang laughed, and Sky chuckled along with him. Ling, meanwhile, was thinking. Even if she didn’t really want to trust a man she only met recently, it was probably her best chance of getting to the city, and getting established enough to actually start looking for the Lotus Assassins. She had spent the last bit of her money earned from “working” for Gao on rent; she had no way of getting to the city itself. 

Sky looked at her, then back at Kang. He knew the answer even before she said it. 

“When would you be ready to go?”

Kang clapped his hands together with a joyful exclamation, “If everything is where I left it, and I don’t know why it wouldn’t be! Tomorrow morning would be ideal!” 

He pulled out a scrap of paper and quickly scribbled down an address, pressing the scrap into Ling’s hands. 

“Meet me here tomorrow morning around seven. Hope you two can pack quickly! Or travel light, whichever works.” He said with a wide grin. Ling got the impression he wasn’t quite all put together upstairs, but she had seen his work firsthand; far better to have the mad genius on your side than against you. 

After Kang left, Sky turned to her once the door was closed, a thin smile on his face. 

“Is it just me, or did that seem too easy?”

Ling shrugged, flopping down onto the couch that doubled as her bed. 

“It’s about time things started going right, if you’re asking me.”

“I dunno, things have been going pretty smoothly for us recently. Only got accused of being a rat once during the, what, two, three months we were there?”

“A new record, that’s for sure,’ Ling replied dryly. That had been a particularly messy day. 

“Well,” Sky said, stretching as he did so, “If you’re not gonna help yourself to dinner I’ll just…” He trailed off, scooping the rest of the stir-fry onto his plate. He turned to her with a roguish grin, “Night, Ling. Try not to stay up too late. After all, got an early start tomorrow.”

Ling hummed an affirmative response, idly remembering the days when she would wake up with the rising sun. 

Those days were well behind her, but she clings to their memory nonetheless.


	2. Foxhunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's MY fanfiction and i can make the fight scenes as unrealistic as i want! its a video game!

Had it not been for the constant honking of car horns, and the dulled roar of motorcycle engines zipping through the traffic, Lian might’ve found herself drifting off with how long the trip was taking. Of course, traffic was one of the few constants in the Imperial City, and she had grown accustomed to the long line of cars that would line the streets of the city. Hence why she had left a good thirty minutes early; she prided herself on her punctuality and efficiency. All traits befitting the heiress of a powerful crime family. 

For two decades now, the Sun family had ruled the Imperial City in all but name. Known for the cunning just as much as their viciousness, the Suns had pulled the strings for decades before rising to the forefront of the Empire’s criminal families. Lian had a lot to live up, especially being the sole child of Sun Hai - the man who had, arguably, saved the many gangs and families of the Empire in his youth by waging a bloody street war of conquest - and the late Sun Shufen, a tactical genius who not only saw to the marriage of the Fan family to the Suns, but was also the mastermind behind the deal with the Guild; another powerful organisation within the Empire. It was her that transformed the myriad of gangs under their control into one triad; the Lotus Assassins, the most powerful, most connected and most dangerous criminal organisation this side of the Glass Sea. 

_At least, they were,_ Lian thought with a frown. 

Recently, new gangs had been cropping up, looking to carve out their own piece of the city, and old rivals were getting bolder as their patriarch got older; Hai was not a young man, after all. But the most egregious crimes were those committed by the triad itself. A certain degree of cruelty was always needed with organisations such as theirs, but over the years, it had gotten out of hand. Where once they outlawed human trafficking, it was now a major source of income. Where once disagreements and assassinations had been covert, clean affairs, now there were kidnappings in broad daylight and shootouts in the streets. It was sloppy, inexcuse, antithetical to everything Lian had been raised to expect. And she knew who was behind it all.

Death’s Hand.

The man was known by no other name, and Lian couldn’t find a real one on record. Always seen in red or black suits, wearing a red mask with a grimace carved onto it, though his ears were still visible, and they were both badly burnt. He had come into the fold after the murder of her uncle Kin at the hands of her other uncle, Li, during the conflicts that established the Lotus Assassin Triad, and had quicky became the right hand and deputy of her father. From there, he all but controlled the triad as her father’s health began to fail him. And Lian despised him for it. Under his command, their men were little more than vicious dogs, and the red poles fought amongst each other for influence, seemingly unconcerned with anything that wasn’t their power plays. 

He was driving the triad - her family - into the ground with his lust for violence and power. She had even heard tales that they had a remote village burned to the ground, for harbouring an old member who had apparently turned traitor years ago. Barbaric. 

The sudden halt of the car followed by the blaring of its’ horn jolted Lian from her thoughts. Her driver- an older man named Jianyu- scowled before meeting her eyes in the rear-view mirror. 

“Apologies, ma’am. I was cut off by some punk on a motorbike.”

Lian’s eyes drifted to the front of the vehicle, out of the blackened glass of the windscreen. She took in the license plate and the back of the person riding it. Just some random biker, she concluded, no one would be stupid enough to try and pull such a stunt intentionally today.

“It’s not a problem, Jianyu. How far away are we?” She asked, knowing the answer, but wanting to be polite regardless; Jianyu was her favourite driver, a former red pole who had been part of the business before they were the Lotus Assassins. 

“About ten minutes, ma’am, give or take,” He said with a nod, keeping his eyes on the road. 

She settled back into her seat. These kinds of meetings were becoming more and more frequent as the various leaders of different gangs and families tried to - at least at face value - prevent all out war on the streets of the city. She knew some of them were just chomping at the bit to start something, but she was more worried about those ideas from within the Lotus Assassins themselves. This wasn’t the eighties; that way of running things had died out a long time ago. The only way those that lived in the underbelly of the Empire was to survive was to adapt, evolve. Crime was never truly going to go away, but there would always be those willing to take it upon themselves to try. And while Lian admired that kind of bravery, it posed issues for her personally and professionally. Hence, they had to be careful, in this day and age, but certain people were dedicated to be anything but. 

The remainder of the drive was relatively quiet, and soon, the sleek black estate car pulled up to its destination; a near-ancient establishment known as The Minister’s Hostel. With the throne long since reduced to a figurehead and the Ministry of Harmony changed to a parliament, the abode had been turned into a fine restaurant. 

It was also where meetings between the families and triads had been held for decades. So much so that there were sound-proofed, finely furnished back rooms for them to conduct business. 

Lian waited for Jianyu to get the door for her, as he always did. It was partially because it was his job, but mostly because he was old-fashioned in the best way. Besides, she had her role to play, as the ideal heiress, and the ideal heiress certainly wouldn’t hoist herself out of her own seat. She let him help her out of the car, before brushing herself off and giving her purse a quick check - burner phone, regular phone, wallet, switchblade, keys to her car and motorbike - before nodding to Jianyu. 

“I’ll park the car and wait, ma’am?”

“Have a seat inside, Jianyu, on me,” she said with a small but genuine smile, “The meeting might be a while and I’d hate to keep you cramped in that car for hours.”

“That’s very generous of you ma’am,” he said, knowing he couldn’t really say no to her, but grateful that she had offered regardless. He waited until she entered before falling in behind her, moving to the sides of the restaurant to find a table, while she continued on to the back. The man at the door, a bald man with the beginnings of a tattoo just visible below his suit collar, gave a shallow but polite bow as Lian approached, opening the door for her. 

As expected, Jia was already inside. An older woman, Jia was covered in stark white and red makeup, her hair tied up into a tight bun, with two gilded stick pins crossed through it. She was wearing something that almost looked like a traditional martial artist's uniform, complete with a red sash keeping the black, red and gold-lined affair together. The only thing that indicated she was a dangerous career triad member was her hands that were covered in tattoos - vipers twisting around her palm and fingers and up her wrist.

She rose from her seat and greeted Lian with a bow and a thin smile that left Lian feeling a little cold. Jia was her mother’s most trusted confidant, her right hand. Where Hai had his brothers, Shufen had Jia. 

The same feeling of loyalty did not extend to Lian, even if Jia was nicer to her than she was to nearly anyone else; something about her mother’s death changed Jia. Her loyalty was firmly with Death’s Hand. 

Lian wondered whether it would be an insult to Shufen’s memory to have Jia removed once she came to power. 

“Have you been waiting long, Jia?” She asked, making sure to keep a polite smile plastered on her face, offering out her hand to shake. Jia took it, and once again Lian was struck by that cold feeling. Very few things unnerved her, and she wouldn’t say Jia did exactly, but the old woman didn’t exactly make her feel comfortable.

“Not long at all,” Jia replied, “You are as punctual as always, a credit to your family name.”

“I am merely acting as befitting of my station,” she said, sitting down at the large table, “Do you know how long the others will be?”

“Kai Lan will likely be arriving any moment now. The others, I’m not entirely sure of,” Jia answered, “I wouldn’t be surprised if Baozhai blew off the meeting to go roughhouse with the brainless thugs under her command,” she added disdainfully. 

“I’m sure she will be here, and take this meeting seriously. It wouldn’t do for her to disregard direct orders from my father after all,” Lian said as smoothly as she could manage.

The Lotus Assassin Triad ran things a little differently than most of their ilk; it was split into two groups, known as the Executioners and the Inquisitors. The Executioners made up the bulk of the gang, and provided the muscle of the organisation. The Inquisitors were the “public” face; they made the deals with businesses, media moguls, companies- and also kept the law enforcement out of their hair. Inquisitors were usually responsible for rooting out informants and other rats. Rarely did a rank-and-file member of the triad fulfill both roles. These rare members often served as the personal entourage of the respective leaders of the two groups, Jia being one of them, leading the Inquisitors, and the aforementioned Baozhai leading the Executioners. The balance of power was precarious at the best of times, as both leaders were often vying for approval from Lian’s father and Death’s Hand. 

And that fact that they hate each other. _Well, Jia hates Baozhai at the very least,_ Lian thought.

As if summoned by Jia’s comments, the door flung open, and a tall, middle-aged woman dressed in a red suit vest stepped inside. The sleeves of her dress shirt were rolled up, displaying the tattooed tigers that ran up her large arms. Her dark brown hair was shaved at the sides, and what did remain was long, tied into a braid that was positioned over her shoulder. Lian noticed the fresh square bandage on her face - there seemed to be a new one every time they met. 

The newcomer took a moment to bow in Lian’s direction, before opening up her arms with a wide grin.

“How’s my favourite heiress doing this fine evening?” Baozhai exclaimed, her grin only growing when Lian accepted her embrace, solidly clapping her on the back a few times. 

_Even if I don’t trust her_ , Lian mused, _at least she’s fun to be around._

“I’m doing well, Baozhai,” she replied, smiling up at her, “And yourself?”

Baozhai released her embrace and leaned back on her heels, bringing her arms up to fold behind her head. 

“Had a bit of an issue this mornin’. One of my Red Poles tryin’ to start shit at the river entrance arena. You know Fang? He claimed he got cheated by an arranged fight, and tried to shake down one of the Guild’s bookies,” Baozhai paused her story to shake her head, “Naturally I had to clean up the mess, smooth those ruffled feathers before Mr. Serpent sent his attack dog after him. You know how the Guild is.”

Jia rolled her eyes while Lian nodded. She summarised that the only thing stopping Jia from making a biting comment was her presence.

“Indeed I do,” Lian said, frowning. She hoped Kai Lan wasn’t in a poor mood today. He was hard to deal with at the best of times, but even more so when he was annoyed. 

“Aw, don’t look so worried, heiress. Doesn’t matter how feisty the Serpent gets, he won’t try and fuck around with us, not seriously anyways.”

“Not if the Guild wants to continue operating within the City,” Jia said, idly sipping at her wine. Lian repressed the urge to stare; since when did Jia agree with Baozhai?

Baozhai moved to sit, next to Lian’s seat, one space away from Jia, as they had always done. The three women sat in relative silence, the only noise being the occasional conversation between Baozhai and Lian. About ten minutes passed before the doors opened again, and in stepped the recently-minted leader of the Guild, Kai Lan, followed by the leaders of the Lotus Assassins’ newest and main rivals - Ai Biyu of the He Fei Triad, and Yao Renshu of the 15K Triad. The trio were in obvious conversation before they had entered, but had ceased whatever they were talking about as the doors swung open. Lian stood to greet them, as did Baozhai and Jia. 

The triad leaders went to speak to the other women first, leaving Lian with Kai Lan. Personal dislike of the man aside, Lian did admire Kai Lan, or at least his drive. He went from a disgraced MMA fighter, to a legend within the illicit fighting rings dotted around the city, to a high ranking member of one of its premier criminal organisations. At the very least, he was better than Gao the Greater. 

As Kai Lan greeted her, she idly wondered if Gao’s murder would be a topic at tonight’s meeting.

“How goes business these days?” She asked once polite greetings were out of the way. Kai Lan gave a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, yet wasn’t entirely fake either. 

“Wonderfully. There’s no shortage of spectators for the arena’s these days.”

Tactfully avoiding the mess that became of Guild operations in the south, Lian noted mentally. Smart man. 

“I’ve been meaning to attend one of those recently; which one would you recommend?”

“If you can stomach the claustrophobia, the most premiere fights occur beneath The Heart of the Empire tavern. Invitation only, of course. Other than that, I would say the river docks on the north side of the city.”

“I’ll see if I can find the time soon.”   
“The Guild would be glad to see you,” He said with practised ease. She wasn’t lying, although she was very good at that; despite growing up in the world she did, she had never attended or even seen the violent underground fighting rings that were the Guild’s chief source of income. She knew that the other gangs and triads, even her own, had significant interest in the goings on of the arenas. Officially, rigging fights wasn’t allowed, though certain fighters with certain sponsors had been known to gain “advantages” in the arena. 

As Kai Lan left to greet the others, and as Lian herself moved to say a polite hello to Biyu, the door opened a final time. The air itself seemed to stiffen, matching the reactions of everyone inside. Despite containing a collection of the most dangerous people in the Empire, perhaps the entire world, there was a palpable aura of fear radiating off of everyone in the room.

Except Lian. All Lian could feel was blinding, seething hatred. 

Death’s Hand had finally arrived. Standing tall in the doorway, towering over even Baozhai, his dark red suit impeccably clean and, while she could not see them, Lian did not doubt that his twin guns would be at his belt; Death’s Hand never went anywhere unarmed. While his eyes were not visible from behind his mask, everyone could feel him scanning the room, his glare settling on everyone before moving on to the next. His gaze finally settled on Lian, and she stared right back at him.

“Hai will not be attending tonight; he is occupied. He has sent me in his stead,” came the deep, gravelly voice of the right hand of the dragon head.

“Not attending? This is his duty!” Renshu exclaimed, “is he brushing us off for whatever takes his fancy now?”

Death’s Hand turned his head towards him. Renshu was not a small man; his frame filled out with muscle earned from a lifetime on the streets. And yet, he seemed to shrink before the eyes of Death’s Hand, already regretting his outburst. The masked man was infamous for his cruelty, after all. 

“He is occupied, and has sent me in his place,” was all he said. Renshu shut up after that.

“If we are all here then…?” Lian began, eager to get this over with, her mood properly fouled by Death’s Hands’ presence. It wouldn’t do to let the others know that Hai’s health was failing him, but still she resented the appearance of his deputy regardless.

Death’s Hand wordless took his seat, and the others followed him. Kai Lan began the talks.

“We still have no trace on Gao the Greater’s murderer. Whoever killed him also severely impacted our operations in the south; it will take months, maybe even years to re-establish ourselves there.”

“Was it the police?” Biyu asked. Jia shook her head.

“While they are taking credit for it, none of our inside men could find any evidence of such an operation. Besides,” she took a sip of her wine, “there were no arrests. Nearly all of Gao’s men were killed.”

Biyu blanched at that, before scowling.

“So we’re dealing with vigilantes then. Brilliant.”

“Who did survive?” Lian said, mind already working.

“That mechanic he had arrived in the city a week ago, but since he was effectively kept in Gao’s basement, he doesn’t know anything,” Jia replied.

“Did you even interrogate him?” Renshu snapped. Jia fixed him with a withering glare.

“We asked him what he knew, and ensured he would keep working with us. I know how to do my job, Mr. Yao.”

“Gao was out of line keeping him there anyways,” Lian said coolly, “but was there anyone else?”

“Blue Lanterns mostly. Dock workers, warehouse workers… anyone who could’ve given us more died with Gao and his enforcers.”

Death’s Hand only nodded.

“The last thing we need is more vigilantes taking the law into their own hands,” Renshu grumbled, crossing his arms. Biyu grinned at him. 

“Still having trouble with that one do-gooder, Yao?” She teased.

“It’s not just one! There has to be more of them!” He all but bellowed. Biyu giggled almost girlishly, making at least an effort to hide it behind her hand. 

“Relax, I’ve been having the same problem, and I know it’s more than one person” she said, “not even the mighty Assassins have been to stop them from fucking with them, have you?” She added on, looking directly at Jia, and then Baozhai, but avoiding Lian and Death’s Hand entirely.

There was an extended silence before Death’s Hand spoke, reaching into his jacket pocket.

“You are incorrect. It is one person.”

“What on earth do you mean?” Lian said, incredulous, “Do you mean to tell me one person is managing to disrupt all three of our organisations?”

Death’s Hand said nothing, merely placed a photograph on the table. Lian snatched it up almost immediately, holding it so Baozhai and Jia could look at it as well. 

It was grainy, obviously from a security camera, taken somewhere in a back alley. In it, a lone figure stood, dressed head to toe in black, face covered with a black bandana, with what looked to be a steel pipe in their hands. Surrounding them were at least half-a-dozen bodies, and even with the poor quality of the image, they were obviously bloody and most likely dead. 

Lian stared at the picture, and she could feel the other two women staring as well. She kept her face neutral, expression carefully schooled, passing the picture onto Renshu. 

“Where was this?” She asked, unable to fully keep the shock out of her voice. 

“In the Copper District. They were supposed to be meeting with a new supplier,” Death’s Hand said emotionlessly, “He never showed. I believe this person murdered him before killing our men.”

Lian let out a deep sigh. Baozhai put a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

“Don’t worry about it, heiress. No way this idiot can keep this up forever. We’ll catch em eventually.”

Lian looked at her with a small relieved smile.

“I certainly hope so.”

* * *

The night air was warm, the beginnings of summer carried on the slight breeze that blew through the crowded streets. Even in the dead of night, the Imperial City was bustling with activity. And under the cover of night, all sorts of illicit activities took place; drug deals, illegal weapon sales, extortion, illegal pit fighting- the list went on. 

In a quiet corner, behind the streets, not quite in the alley, a group of people stood talking over an upturned crate. Thugs armed with knives and steel pipes stood at one entrance, the other was blocked off by a van. The conversation was quiet, almost civil, a stark contrast to the purpose of the meeting. 

Over the dull sounds of traffic and conversation, there was a metallic clang. One of the guards jumped, while the second merely rolled their eyes. 

“Go check that out, newbie,” she said lazily, idly twirling the steel pipe in her hand. The “newbie” gulped and nodded, making his way over to the entrance to the alleyway, knife gripped hard. The sound had come from around the corner, from one of the fire escapes most likely. As he disappeared around the corner, the older gangster sighed and muttered something about the skill of the newer recruits. She turned her head to look at the meeting; six men in total, the two in negotiation having brought their own bodyguards. No clue why they wanted her and the new guy here, but maybe it was to break in the Blue Lantern. Not her place to question the Red Pole anyways. Hell, maybe the orders had some from someone even higher, though she doubted it.

She observed the meeting for a few second more, before turning her head back around and-

A sickening crack rang through the night, metal colliding with bone as blood splattered across the cool ground. The gangster didn’t even have time to scream as her body hit the ground. 

Alarmed, the bodyguards jumped into action, drawing guns from their holsters and moving up to the still-warm body of the dead triad member, scanning around for obvious threats. 

The sound of shattering glass was all the warning they had as, one by one, the lights illuminating the dull corner went out. 

In the seconds it took their eyes to adjust, it was already too late.

A shadowy figure moved behind the first man, cracking him clean across the head, sending him to the ground. Scooping up his gun from his prone form and letting the crowbar clatter to the ground as they ducked into a roll, the figure stood up and fired a shot into the heads of the second, third and fourth guard. The remaining two finally reacted, opening fire into the darkness. The figure leaped over their heads in an impressive display of acrobatics, landing directly behind one of them, twisting his gun arm behind his back, firing two shots into his back. Before he had even hit the ground, they were advancing on the final figure, running at him and jumping into a flying kick, hitting him square in the chest. He stumbled backwards, and made the fatal error of raising his gun instead of his fists. Faster than he could track, the figure whipped him with the butt of their stolen handgun, and as he doubled over, they seemed to wait for just a second, as if relishing their victory, before plugging his head with a bullet too.

Rather than running, the two men conducting the deal seemed frozen in shock, but as the last of their bodyguards fell and the figure in black seemed intent on taking them out next, they spurred into action, running for the van, shouting at each other in Tho Fan. 

The figure paid it no mind, merely bending down to pick up a new gun, stalking towards them like a tiger did their prey. More glass shattering rang out; the criminals seemingly did not have the keys to the vehicle and were desperate enough to break the window to try and escape. 

Another shot rang out, and the brains of the man who had broken the window sprayed the jagged glass and interior of the van. The final man left alive screamed, falling to his knees before the figure, blubbering and begging for his life, making all sorts of promises to the figure into order to spare his life. 

The figure obviously didn’t listen, quickly ending him with a shot through the top of his head. 

Silence fell on the darkened back corner, the only person left standing being the dark dressed figure, who’s laboured breathing was the only sound underneath the dull hum of the city itself. Quickly, they gathered themselves up and began patting down the dead men, finding the van’s keys in the pockets of one of them quickly enough. Moving back to the van, they unlocked the rear doors, swinging them open. Inside, four people - three women and one young man - were huddled, their hands zip-tied, obviously scared out of their wits. They shrunk away from the open doors and with the interior light on, they could clearly see the mysterious assailant. 

They were dressed in all black; a black leather jacket over a black hoodie with the hood pulled up, a black bandana covering half their face. Scruffy jeans and heavy black boots covered their lower half. They held up their hands in a submissive gesture, and said hands were covered by fingerless gloves. 

“I can get you out of those restraints. I’m not here to hurt you, I promise,” they said, and the voice was distinctly feminine. Slowly, one of the women moved towards them, holding out her bound hands. Their rescuer reached for a switchblade on their belt, flipping it open and gently taking her wrists to steady them as they cut through the zip-tie. When her hands were free, she turned around and showed the rest of the captives her now freed hands. The others moved forward eagerly after seeing their fellow captive freed. One by one, their restraints were undone, and the four people gathered outside the van. The figure in black handed one of them a phone - an old flip phone - from one of the pockets of their leather jacket. 

“Do you have people you can call?” They asked. All four of them nodded, “If you head out of the alleyway, turn left and keep walking you’ll reach Tien’s Square. Have them pick you up from there. Do you want me to walk you there?”

“I think we can make it ourselves, thank you,” said one of the women, finally speaking up. She gripped the little phone tightly, before stepping forward, away from the rest of the group. The rest of them quickly followed, some casting a backward glance at their saviour. 

Eventually, the group of out of sight. The person in black sighed, tugging down the bandana covering half their face and their hood, staring at the carnage around them. 

Sun Lian sighed heavily, alone with her handiwork. She might’ve saved those four, but it just wasn’t enough. 


	3. update

I'm moving all my works to ff.net. If you wish to continue reading this fic, which I will post there eventually, follow me there with this [link.](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/6853626/)


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